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Inyo County, California
Inyo County is located in east-central California in the southwestern United States, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and south of Yosemite National Park. As of 2000 the county had a population of 17,945. The county seat is Independence. Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48 states, is located in Inyo County. Badwater, in Death Valley National Park and the lowest point in the United States, is also located in the county. The two points are not visible from each other, but both can be observed from the Panamint Range on the west side of Death Valley. History Inyo County was formed in 1866 from parts of Mono and Tulare Counties. The county derived its name from the Native American name for the mountains in its area. The meaning of the word inyo is "dwelling place of the great spirit." Natural History Inyo County is host to a number of natural superlatives. Among them are: *Mount Whitney, the highest point in the United States outside of Alaska *Badwater, in Death Valley, the lowest point in North America *Methuselah, an ancient Bristlecone pine and the oldest living thing on Earth *Owens Valley, the deepest valley on the American continents *Two mountain ranges exceeding 14,000 feet in elevation: The Sierra Nevada and the White Mountains *Fourteen of California's fifteen peaks which exceed 14,000 feet (a Fourteener) in elevation *The largest escarpment in the United States, rising from the floor of Death Valley to the top of Telescope Peak in the Panamint Range Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 10,227 square miles (26,488 km²), of which 10,203 sq mi (26,426 km²) is land and 24 sq mi (62 km²) is water. Relatively, it is an extremely large county, the second-largest in the state and one of the largest in the nation. Cities and towns Adjacent Counties * San Bernardino County - south * Kern County - southwest * Tulare County - west * Fresno County - west * Mono County - north * Esmeralda County - northeast * Nye County - east * Clark County - southeast Transportation Infrastructure Major Highways * U.S. Highway 6 * U.S. Highway 395 * California State Route 127 * California State Route 136 * California State Route 168 * California State Route 178 * California State Route 190 Public Transportation Inyo Mono Transit operates intercity bus service along U.S. 395, as well as local services in Bishop. Service extends south to Ridgecrest (Kern County) and north to Reno. Airports Bishop Airport, Independence Airport, and Lone Pine Airport are general aviation airports located near their respective cities. Stovepipe Wells Airport and Furnace Creek Airport are located near Death Valley National Park. Demographics As of the census2 of 2000, there were 17,945 people, 7,703 households, and 4,937 families residing in the county. The population density was 1/km² (2/sq mi). There were 9,042 housing units at an average density of 0/km² (1/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 80.06% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 10.04% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 4.60% from other races, and 4.15% from two or more races. 12.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 89.2% spoke English and 9.3% Spanish as their first language. There were 7,703 households out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.88. In the county the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 5.80% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males. The median income for a household in the county was $35,006, and the median income for a family was $44,970. Males had a median income of $37,270 versus $25,549 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,639. About 9.30% of families and 12.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.00% of those under age 18 and 8.30% of those age 65 or over. Politics Inyo is a strongly Republican county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Inyo is part of California's 25th congressional district, which is held by Republican Buck McKeon. In the state legislature, Inyo is part of the 34th Assembly district, which is held by Republican Bill Maze, and the 18th Senate district, which is held by Republican Roy Ashburn. Education School district in Inyo County are: * Bishop Union Elementary School District * Bishop Joint Union High School District * Big Pine Unified School District * Lone Pine Unified School District * Owens Valley Unified School District * Round Valley School District * Death Valley Unified School District External links *Inyo County website *Inyo County Office of Education *Inyo County Tourism website Category:Counties of California Category:Inyo County, California